The current proposals for the WGC would lead to the loss of the pay and play golf club facility. As we have explained, golf participation has generally shown a downward trend over the last two decades. This decline has generally been down to a lower number of younger players taking up the sport and the amount of time it takes to complete an 18 hole round, where working age people find it difficult to fit this into their busy schedules.
Over the past years we have contacted golf clubs in the Bristol area to ascertain the numbers of members they have and identify how many they believe they could take on prior to reaching full capacity. Whilst some clubs were unwilling to give out information due to confidentiality, the majority confirmed that they have spare capacity and were actively trying to recruit new members to ensure they remained viable.
Therefore, the evidence suggests that if Woodlands Golf Club were to close, there is available capacity in the local area to accommodate the players who would be displaced.
Notwithstanding this, any development of the site could retain a golfing use and we would be happy to consider this if respondents consider this to be essential - for example a single 9-hole, par three or academy course could be provided which would be more appropriate in terms of increasing demand for shorter forms of the sport. We would welcome your views on whether this should be incorporated into the design.
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